


Some kind of Fairytale

by escailyy



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Cinderella AU, F/M, One of My Favorites, Pirate AU, Rey is a princess, Tropes, and a pirate, basically fairytale au, child bride au, smugglers, the cast of the rogue one lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-30
Updated: 2017-11-30
Packaged: 2019-02-08 20:02:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12871968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/escailyy/pseuds/escailyy
Summary: What if Cinderella had been a Pirate? What if her prince was already a beast?A mix of my favorite fairytale tropes. Started as a aesthetic project and ended up turning into an actual story. I need to stop doing this.





	Some kind of Fairytale

**Author's Note:**

> this chapter was partially inspired by the manga "The bride of Ardashan"

 

She was five and he was sixteen when they were married. A dynastic alliance pushed by his grandfather, great emperor Vader. Retired and frail, but no less strong, who wanted to keep the last piece of his best friend by any means. Prince Ben Skywalker of Aldeeran was married to the little princess Rain Kenobi heir to Mandalore.   
  
The stories said that she was born with the first storm after a terrible Mandalorian famine, and as such her grandmother, widowed Queen Satine, on the deathbed of her only daughter, named the child after the rain. Kylo still remembered their wedding, a lavish affair for a sham he never agreed to, she was of course an adorable child, with kind eyes, long hair and perfect Mandalorian manners, but she was also spoiled and demanding. Or maybe she seemed spoiled because Rain expected people to love her, in he mind affection was always freely given. While in Ben's mind it wasn't.  
  
Ben hadn't known that It was a reasonable expectation, the little princess had been adored by her grandmother, hugged, kissed and given all the warmth a young child could want from the lords of her court, she was their beloved monarch last heir and they loved her because she was part of Queen Satine.   
  
And as such his child bride wanted him to like her. Like any other young man his age Ben had bristled under the assumption that he should play nursemaid to a little girl who didn't understand the pressure he was under. She didn't know that Aldeeran and Coruscant were in war because of him. As his grandmother's first born His uncle Luke ruled Naboo, and Queen Leia had been given Aldeeran by right of conquest but they both were children of Emperor Vader. Ben's marriage to Rain had been a desperate move of his mother in order to keep the emperor placated since she refused to let Ben join the empire.   
  
Rain also thought that Vader was a monster, in fact she often said so to Ben's face to which he privately agreed more often than not, yet didn't say it out loud just to keep the court on their toes. But at least Rain was honest with him, the child didn't know subterfuge or how to lie, so talking to her always made Ben feel better. Rain used to jump in his bed when she saw him feeling down, she liked to make snowmen in winter so Ben reluctantly took her to the gardens and let her teach him how to 'have fun dofus'.   
  
Kylo Ren liked to think it was probably the only time in Aldeeran that he'd let his guard down, when he was making snowballs with little Rain, or watching her excitement as she showed him how to plant a sunflower ( 'they're my favorite Ben, the books say that a husband should bring his wife flowers, so you need to know how plant them, that way I'll have them all the time').   
  
She was always happy, even around his perpetually glum presence, she liked to make things and show them to Ben, learning at a breakneck pace. If she was interested in food she'd make someone teach her and then feed Ben her atrocious experiments, if she wanted to figure out how a clock functioned she'd pick it apart with her little hands and force Ben to help her put it back together. Or drag him to watch puppets in the palace hall.   
  
She laughed at everything and made him laugh too. Sometimes it was strange to consider that he was married to her seeing as she was barely six and Ben looked ridiculous when he played dolls with her, but such was the life of a royal and he got used to Rain's smiles as easily as he got used to sharing a bed with the royal kindergartner.  
  
Still he was a young man in his prime, and sometimes he envied the likes of Poe Dameron and the adventures they had while Ben was essentially stuck being a permanent babysitter TO HIS WIFE, the older he got the more he resented the situation. He liked Rain, he did but why should being married to a little girl hinder him from enjoying himself? He was the bloody prince.  
  
So Ben started pulling away from his mother, making friends with untrained knights, setting aside his political ambitions in favor of jousting and drinking. In his arrogance he thought he could have it all. And that fateful night when Rain asked him why he never played with her anymore, Ben replied offhandedly 'Its just so childish Rain, I'm a man, can't you see that I can't be bothered to keep up with a kid?"   
  
'But Ben. We're family, Queen Leia says that family always loves each other" He'd seen her lip wobbling as she clutched her dolls to her chest 'you don't even like me anymore? You're never happy with me'   
  
'Let it go little princess, go back to your Nanny and leave me alone, maybe I'll see you tomorrow and read you a storybook or something" Ben shrugged off, eager to get to the tourney he was going to joust at and pummel Sir Hux with his Lance.   
  
'its all right Ben, maybe if I bother you so much it would be better if you didn't try to see me anymore, I'm just a stupid little girl" Rain had shouted before running to their room in tears.  
  
It was the last memory he had of her. Truthfully Ben hadn't known that the Mandalorian rebels would pick just that night to attack the palace, or that the tourney was a decoy. But he should have stayed with Rain, he should have been better with her.  
  
They torched his entire wing of the palace, all except his room, Rain's room, they'd wanted to send Aldeeran a message, with the lone storybook left in Rain's side of the bed. They wanted Ben to know that they had taken the princess and instead of fighting them, Rain had gone willingly.  
  


In his life, he'd been given one person, just one person, to protect and he'd failed her worse than his parents ever failed him.

  
Kylo didn't remember much of his life after that, it was all a blur of violence and grief, he'd blamed the royals, the guards, everyone for Rain's disappearance. And they in turn blamed him for failing in his duty to protect his child bride. He scoured countryside, waged war and all but obliterated even a whisper of Mandalorian Rebellion, he searched Naboo, Hoth, Ach too, Yavin IV but barring the Coruscant empire, Rain was never seen again.  
  
And in his grief he found himself in the grasp of a religious leader named Snoke who encouraged him to do terrible things in the name of religion. At least until Leia finally allowed Vader to intervene and Kylo wad brought to his grandfather's side as a prince of the empire.   
  
Under his wing Darth Vader honed Kylo's raw anger into something less volatile, the emperor taught him the almost military discipline he'd learned from Palpatine. Turning his grief into single minded pursuit of goals and redirecting his passions into daily training. The same way he had had done after the death of his beloved Padme.

 

And so, Kylo Ren became the Knight of the emperor.  
  
Rey didn't like to remember her life before Captain Jyn Erso and the crew of the 'Rogue One'. How old had she been when Jyn rescued her from the 'Jakku' scavenger ship, Nine? Eight? She'd spent too much time in that damned starvation camp masquerading as a trader ship to enjoy the memory.   
  
The big one, Unkarr liked to call her princess when she scoured good shipwrecks, maybe because that's what her first captors had called her before the 'Jakku' relieved them of their cargo, before that, Rey remembered silk, smiles and glittering jewels. But other child in the Jakku also said the same thing, so she quickly learned that what she called memory others called scavenger imagination. She remembered being a scavenger well enough tough and then, then Jyn happened.  
  
Mercenary ship (and sometimes pirate supernova) 'Rogue One' was her salvation, Jyn Erso had dropped the kidnapped 'Jakku' children in Naboo's bay but Rey, according to Chirrut and Kaytoo, she'd been special, born for the life of an adventurer, Quartermaster Cassian had taken a shine to her because her accent which was so much like the captain's and Bodhi and Baze immediately seconded the motion. So Rey became the youngest member of the 'Rogue One' tripulation. If only to help Bodhi patch up injuries and serve as weapon cleaner for master Baze.  
  
She was a good cabin boy(girl), Rey (Because when asked her name, a half starved Rey mumbled that into Bodhi's ear). Fastest learner than most men, she was charting maps, dropping anchors and firing cannons by her first woman blood. Following Jyn around like a faithful apprentice and taking to the pirate city of Jedha like a born and bred sailor.   
  
It was ironic for the crew whenever they touched land outside of Jedha because Jyn's father always managed to learn her whereabouts and be there waiting. Ironic because Jyn was a pirate (paid courier of sensitive information father!) and Galen Erso was a General in Vader's navy. So his gentle fatherly disapproval always made them laugh.   
  
In the Rogue One Rey grew into a strong willed young woman, aboard the ship of a million secrets, traveling from port to port delivering information to those that needed sensitive messages passed discreetly for a fee. Their cargo was not jewels but scrolls, words passed from mouth to ear that toppled noblemen every day. And Rey knew all about scavenging for letters when it came to the it.   
  
From Sau Guerrera to Mon Mothma, from the dirtiest distract of Mustafar to the beautiful beaches of Achtoo, if it could be reached by horse and could be escaped by ship, 'Rogue One' could deliver the message. And the higher the pay, well the faster it would be done. And Rey was a favorite among their clients, because unlike the rest of the male crew, she was small, fast and was great at finding information that didn't want to be found.  
  
Once upon a time Jyn would have liked to be a knight and seeing how Rey was young she took pleasure in teaching her the womanly art of swordfighting, sail master Chirrut not to be left behind taught her the benefits of a good staff and Baze supplemented with his bow and arrow. Cassian preferred hand to hand combat (which Rey could be better at, if she put as much love into it as she did with the staff) and Bodhi was the only one who refused to teach Rey weaponry preferring to show her the comfort of maps and books.  
  
All in all Quartermaster Cassian thought it was the most well rounded education a girl could receive before her twentieth summer. Let the gentry teach their young embroidery and pianoforte, their Rey could balance on the rope of a ship with better skill than a ballroom finest dancers.  
  
Kaytoo Eso the eccentric Cook of the ship, was the only one who seemed to want Rey and Jyn to be 'ladies' and insisted on at least seeing them wear a dress once a year (General Galen's birthday being the forceful occasion). The others were quite happy to let their orphan mermaid grow into a fearsome little pirate. (Paid courier of sensitive information Chirrut!)  
  
Sometimes Rey dreamed about jewels and dark eyes laughing in the snow. A stranger who combed her hair and bit into ugly looking cookies for her amusement. But those dreams became fewer and fewer as her life went on.  
  
And then a messenger bird with a broken wing crashed into her, followed by Finn Storm and the mission that would change her life.  
  
"You want us to believe that this First Order, not only attempted and almost succeeded at killing Luke Skywalker but that they are now aiming for the emperor? Why would Aldeeran's Queen risk sending a message to her father now? I thought she wanted him dead" Jyn snorted when she heard Finn's story  
  
"Naboo spies discovered that the man behind the first order is an old enemy of Aldeeran that only her father could stop the last time he attempted to aim for the throne, she's afraid that it will happen again, so it's very important that the letter reaches him" The young man explained "I defected from the first order, I know what they're up against"   
  
"But the emperor is never seen without his Executioner, do you mean to say that we will have to bypass the Vader's Black Knight in the name of Queen Leia? He will kill us all" Cassian accused not liking the mission one bit  
  
"Please, I beg you, Han Solo himself recommended your ship, it's the Rogue One, you have done the impossible time and time again, the kingdom needs your help"  
  
The crew protested strongly but finally Jyn relented, she never did shy away from a challenge.   
  
The plan was simple, slip into Coruscant's latest imperial ball, distract the Black Knight and give Vader the letter from his daughter. Easy.  
  
Except that nobody knew how one separated someone like Kylo Ren from Vader when he all but lived glued to the Emperor's cape. So lots of plans were made. Cassian would get into a fight, Kaytoo would spike the drinks, Chirrut would set fire to something, Rey would be the pretty girl asking for a dance, anything as long as Jyn could get the letter to Vader while Baze and Bodhi would be waiting with the getaway horses.  
  
This wasn't the first time Rey had played damsel in distress of course, but to a ball held in Coruscant, Jyn and Cassian brought out the heavy artillery. Pirates usually had one or two treasure chests for dire occasions like this and when they all were finished gowning up. Rey looked like a princess.  
  
A princess that looked every inch a Kenobi. And the moment the Knight of Ren saw her, among a million people he just hand to dance with her. It helped that Rey's mission was to distract him but there was something in his gaze that she couldn't shake.

 

“This is the first time we've met, but I swear I know you from somewhere, isn't that strange?” Rey whispered as she swayed to the music, how could someone so handsome be so terrible, the Black Knight of the empire had such a pair of deep eyes, one could get lost in them

“Not at all,” Kylo replied pulling her towards him “Tell me are you a ghost, you resemble her so much it must be so”

“Resemble who?” Rey frowned

“A princess I knew a long time ago” Kylo swayed some more, committing her features to memory, did this girl know she had Obi wan Kenobi's distinctive bone structure, or the lips of Queen Satine “Haven't you heard what they say about me? That years ago I had a little girl killed because I couldn't stand to be married to a child”

A faint memory threatened to surface but Rey wasn't intimidated by his tactics, she'd heard worse tales being peddled about Cassian and none of them were true “And did you?”

“Did I what?”

“Kill her, the Light of Mandalore” Rey challenged quirking an eyebrow “Not every day does one get to ask the fearsome Black Knight his side of the story” she twirled masterfully and returned to his side to the tune of the music “it must be nice to the future emperor”

“Do they still call her that?, But no I didn't do it, she was a kind child, I wouldn't have dared to hurt her if I could help it, she was just tragically kidnapped from her bed one night, but I'm Vader's grandson, murdering children is something people expect from me” Kylo raised her hand to his lips

“People gossip demands so much from us sometimes, try to be stronger, smarter, prettier, better” Rey sighed shaking her head “Yet here I am, dancing with the second most feared man in the empire and not even attempting to flee, figures it's a night to fall short on expectations”

Kylo observed her, beautiful in her simplicity with those eyes that were so alive one could almost miss what they were trying to hide, but not Kylo “ I know that look in your face, you're lonely aren't you?, so lonely and desperate to be loved, did you come here hoping to find something that you lost?”

“I'm not looking for anything” Rey bristled at the longing he had been able to read in her face “And you're afraid you'll never be as strong Darth Vader” she snapped moving away but he held her hand tight and didn't let her.

“Running away already? And here I thought you were braver than that” Kylo mocked

“Strategic retreat, I grew up surrounded by wise negotiators” Rey demurred but otherwise let him lead her back into the dance again, this time the tempo of the music was slower and it allowed her to watch his reactions a little better “You enjoy my discomfort and that's not very gentlemanly”

“I never claimed to be a gentleman, one of the few things I have in common with my father is a mutual dislike for the word” quirking his lips into a smile that actually jotted something in Rey's memory “You on the other hand should be careful with who you dance with if those are your expectations”.

“ _Ben why don't you smile more?, I wish you could smile all the time, I'll make you laugh and you'll never be sad anymore, please pretty please stop frowning”_

“ _All right, is this better little lady?, why are you laughing now?”_

“ _Your ears are so big! Let me touch them”_

“ _No, Rain, NO, stop pulling my ears”_

“You should try that more often Ben”And without meaning to Rey's hands reached for his dark hair, pushing it behind his ears with a lost look of wonder in her face “your smile no longer make your ears look big”

Kylo could feel their connection pulsing in the air even without hearing his former name in her lips, this stranger, who he felt he knew trough his whole life “Rain?” he whispered almost as tough in a trance.

Suddenly an explosion interrupted the music and brought the couple out of their trance, Rey looked up to see Jyn waving the signal and Cassian fingering another two detonators “I need to go, it was a great dance, I certainly hope we don't see each other again” Rey spoke fast disengaging herself from Kylo and nodding at Kaytoo.

Kylo in turn recognized Jyn in the distance and connected the dots “Rogue One! I should have known” in the blink of an eye he was running after Rey and drawing his sword “Who are you and why are you here?”

“That's a bit confidential your highness, but let's just say that you should really consider talking to your mother one of these days, because lately all the secret codes I've been retrieving seem to involve her” Rey shouted back heading for the gardens a bit slower than she was used to and throwing obstacles in his way, damn that stupid fancy dress

“So it's you, the girl I've heard so much about” Kylo growled jumping over the obstacles “ The famous “Scavenger” that's been causing the empire so much trouble under the flag of the Rogue One”

“Nice to know my reputation precedes me and in the eyes of the Black Knight no less, I must be quite notorious” Rey paused to make a mock bow before pulling a rapier from a hidden fold in her dress and slashing a straight line in the side of the skirt, using the rip in her dress to stretch her legs in wider steps and run faster

“You've uncovered secrets that destroyed a number of noble houses and threw the senate in turmoil, don't play games Scavenger” He tried not to stare at her creamy legs, the cut she'd made in her skirt almost reached her corset and as a result Kylo was treated to a splendid view with every step of her sprint “Surrender and I'll be merciful” he knew the gardens better than her, he would have her cornered in no time.

She seemed to realize it because instead of going further, she stopped running and turned her rapier on him “Or you could kindly let me go and I won't damage that pretty face”

How could he have ever thought she was Rain? This pirate masquerading as a lady was the furthest from a princess that he'd ever seen. Pulling his own rapier he snorted a cruel laugh “En garde” he challenged, wondering exactly why Vader hadn't sent an army of enforcers to capture her already.

The ensuing fight was...Interesting.

Not only because he was fighting a duel with a beautiful woman wearing a dress that she had no qualms about damaging in order to get the best of him in the fight, but because she was stronger than her small frame suggested and also surprisingly skilled despite the lack of training in her fighting style “You need a teacher” he said when he finally managed to make her retreat into a wall, pointing his rapier at her chest and cutting the front of her dress like butter, until it revealed her corset and chemise

“So do you” Rey snarled taking him by surprise and aiming a kick with the leg that wasn't hopelessly trapped under the fabric of her skirt, making him lose his balance and fall but not without reaching forward and pulling her down with him, trapping her with one hand crossing swords against hers and the other holding her waist “Let me go!”

“Or what?” Kylo challenged feeling another sort of hunger entirely at the sight of her pressed against him

“Or I'll make you” And then, knowing he wasn't expecting it, Rey brought her lips down to his and kissed him like her life depended on it. She kissed him the way the people of Jedha kissed their lovers, because that's the only way Rey knew to kiss, even if it was technically her first time kissing a man, she'd seen Jyn and Cassian do it enough times to learn the basics. His highness had beautiful lips and it would have been a shame for Rey to leave without at least trying out that part of the damsel ruse. She never understood why kissing as a distraction worked so well for Cassian and Jyn until she was moaning into Kylo Ren's mouth, those lips really were made to give pleasure.

Despite knowing her tactic, Kylo let himself fall for it if only because he'd been burning to kiss her since he'd first mistaken her for Rain in the ballroom, he felt her hands roam his face and even noticed when she disengaged his sword from his hand and brought it up to her breasts but he still kissed her back with all the passion Skywalkers were known for, she was as untrained in the art as she was in sword-fighting, but what she didn't have in knowledge she made up in enthusiasm, touching her tongue tentatively to his and letting him guide her into what he wanted. And he wanted to leave her panting.

“Don't be afraid” He whispered when she came up for air “I feel it too” and then he pulled her down on him and kissed her again.

Eventually the voice of Kaytoo calling out her name made her break away from him and Kylo wasn't even angry when she ran, lips swollen and disheveled hair, he knew he would see her again “I'll hunt you down to the ends of the earth if I have to” Kylo shouted after her “You know I will”

Rey paused her running and turned to him and smiled “I look forward to it _Ben_ ” and then she dissapeared trough the trees with the grace of a trapeze jumper and Kylo was once again left wondering if she was who she said she was after all.

 

 


End file.
